Linked
by dearemmahansen
Summary: (Used to be A Sole Breath) What it Percy fell into Tartarus alone? Without Percy, Annabeth works furiously with the Argo II to save him. Without Annabeth, Percy battles Tartarus trying to get back to her. But without each other, what will keep their inner darkness at bay?
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth

A shove, a taste of dust. A desperate throw to the side, and Annabeth could feel her body clenched against stone. Her foot felt loose, untethered from from the webs previously tying her back.

"Percy!" She cried out, trying to open her eyes.

A hand wrapped around her wrist, and Annabeth let out a sigh of relief… before she looked up and saw that the hand belonged to Hazel instead of him. She let out a shriek and pushed herself up, sprinting towards the edge. Nico called out to her, a frantic warning, but Annabeth skidded to a stop as she reached the rocky edge. Fifteen feet below was Percy, grasping a small ledge with his fingertips. Annabeth knelt and tried to reach for him, but it pointless. She could feel it.

"Annabeth…" Percy's voice cracked, looking at her with despair. His green eyes were filled with anguish and tears. "I can't climb up."

"You need to hold on, Percy!" Annabeth tried to keep her sobs inside, starting to fail as she kept looking into his sea green eyes. "Hold on- Jason will be back, or Frank-"

"I have to let go, Annabeth." While his tone was uneven, Percy looked sure of what he was saying. "It's the only way. The House."

"No," Annabeth croaked, her stomach sinking.

"I'll get back to you. I always do."

"Seaweed Brain-" Annabeth started to become hysterical, breathing too heavily and voice pitching. "Percy…"

"I love you, Wise Girl." Percy looked up at her with shining eyes, with hope and burning emotion that Annabeth could barely register in the moment. She couldn't even understand that that was the first time and perhaps the last time she would hear that.

His fingers started to loosen… and as Percy Jackson fell into the darkness, Annabeth Chase let out one blood curdling, guttural wail that could be heard from the very depths of the Argo II.

"Have you been inside yet?"

"No."

"Should we?"

Annabeth sat on the bunk, twisting the blanket in her hands. It still smelled like him. Ocean air and salt, clean and slightly reminiscent of trees.

She could hear them through the door. Leo hadn't built the ship to be soundproof, afterall. There had been a few jokes on his part about that after Percy and Annabeth snuck out…

Annabeth squeezed the blanket tighter.

"Hey," Piper said, opening the door and knocking on it simultaneously. Her expression looked so sympathetic, so filled with pity.

Annabeth wanted to break Piper's sympathy. She restrained herself, of course. It was one of her best friends. But she could still feel the heat rising in her from the rage in the pits of her stomach. Instead of channeling it to her fists, she let it go to her broken heart.

Hazel poked her head in as well, before shutting the door behind the both of them. Annabeth stared pointedly at the ground as they approached and sat on either side of her.

"Percy had-has a nice bedroom," Piper said, trying to cover up her slip up. Annabeth's heart squeezed as she slowly looked up, taking in the simple pictures that Annabeth had put in the room before they had left Camp Half-blood of her, Percy, Grover, and Sally.

How could Piper switch to past-tense so quickly?

Hazel quietly pulled out an amethyst from her pocket, around the size of a quarter. She fidgeted with it, not looking up at Annabeth or Piper. Annabeth knew that Hazel still found gems when she was nervous… and by the size of this one, Hazel was distraught. Annabeth wanted to comfort her, but right now, Annabeth could even comfort herself.

"Annabeth," Piper started, looking down and away. "You need to leave the room."

"No."

"It's been a day. You need to eat, get some fresh air-"

"Percy doesn't have food or fresh air right now."

"So get it _for _him," Piper snapped, looking straight into Annabeth's eyes. "You're going to be no help in saving Percy if you just sit here and starve to death! He needs you to get to the Doors of Death. Now, what's the only way to do that?!"

Annabeth took a rattling breath, and she saw Hazel wince slightly. "Ok."

"Okay?!" Piper stood and took Annabeth's hand in hers, pulling her up. "Let's get some food in you, and then you're going to help us go."

Annabeth nodded, and turned to Hazel. Hazel smiled weakly before standing with them and walking to the mess hall.

𝛀

Percy

It flew by, the blackness. Sometimes he felt like he could reach out and grab the wall, cling there and maybe still be able to have Jason or Franck rescue him. Sometimes he felt like there were no walls, and that was when the desire to have Annabeth with him really took over, pounded his chest and gave him no air.

Percy fell, and as he fell, he let out four words that he needed to say, four words that he desperately needed to make known and to be heard.

"I love you, Annabeth."

𝛀

Annabeth

Annabeth knew that Nico was getting frustrated with her, but she also knew that he didn't have the heart to snap at her.

"Nico?" She asked in a timid voice that didn't and had never belonged to her.

"He's alive," Nico said, closing his eyes. Annabeth didn't know if it was out of annoyance, or concentration because Percy was getting so far away, and it was a struggle to tell his heartbeat.

Annabeth didn't like either option very much.

Jason cleared his throat, returning everyone from pointedly not looking at Percy's seat.

Annabeth sat at the head of the dining table, where she always did, but the familiarity didn't help. The emptiness in the seat to the left of hers was too great to go ignored. It was a presence tapping her on the shoulder that wouldn't be ignored.

She looked to her right at Jason, grateful for the distraction.

"What's our plan?" Jason asked. "I mean… we're blindly flying to Greece. We have to have a plan." Annabeth almost smiled. If Jason wasn't Roman first, she would have suspected that he was part Athena.

"I'm going to go on deck," Leo announced, "and steer. I need-" he broke off his sentence, glancing at Annabeth.

She clenched her fist around her fork. Her blueberry pie suddenly didn't look so good. Sure, she was fine with pitying herself, but she only felt weak when others did as well. Having people tiptoe around her only filled her with fury, not gratefulness or whatever they hoped to inspire.

"I'll keep an eye from above," Nico said. _To get away from me_, Annabeth thought sullenly. _And my question_.

"And I'll stay on deck," Hazel said. Annabeth picked this as unusual, but decided not to ask. Hazel's regular seasickness was the least of her problems.

'"I'm going to sleep," Frank said, and Piper gave a small "yup" in agreement.

"Reading," Jason said, throwing a look at Annabeth that for once wasn't in sympathy, but an unspoken agreement. "Preparing."

"Movies!" Coach Hedge boomed, and Annabeth started in her chair. No matter what, Coach could always be consistent. "Chuck Norris and some kicks!" He mimed a punch at Hazel, who looked scandalized.

Annabeth nodded. "Ok, Coach. And I'll be researching. See you all tonight." She stood, feeling maybe just a bit better than earlier, in Percy's room. Before leaving, she was able to get down a bit of pie, savoring the blue filling just a second longer than normal.

𝛀

Percy

Percy closed his eyes for the millionth time. Holding them closed, he could almost escape from his reality into a different one, a past one. One where he had Annabeth held to his side, able to look into her eyes whenever he wanted. That reality was where he wanted to live in forever.

But Annabeth would have none of that if she was here, and the knowledge made Percy open his eyes and try to hold on for her. He held on for his mom, whom he needed to see again. He held on for the crew of the Argo II, knowing that Frank, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Nico would need him again just as much as he needed them. He held on for Grover, whom was barely jst a subtle presence in the back of his mind through his empathy link. He held on for Tyson, who would go ballistic without Percy.

Percy held on for everyone… except maybe Hera. Percy had no need to hold on for Hera.

He turned to face whatever was beneath him, and heard a sound. A trickle of liquid that mae his heart swell. He could manage liquid.

His mouth pulled into a grin for the first time in a while. He was going to get out of this. He was going to see his Wise Girl again.


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeth

Annabeth was hacking her throat apart, but she couldn't care less. The action ripped her throat to shreds, but it gave her something else to think about. Sitting there in her bunk, she coughed wildly as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her hair was messier than normal, the blond curls morphing into dreadlocks that refused to obey any laws of gravity. But Annabeth didn't care about that right now. All Annabeth could think of was how grateful she was for this distraction.

"Annabeth!" Piper and Jason burst into her bedroom, and Annabeth sat up straighter, her coughing fizzling out.

"We thought you were dying!" Piper pinched her forehead together while Jason steadied himself against a wall, quietly repeating "Oh gods…"

"I'm fine," Annabeth croaked, flipping a light on and fumbling around for her water bottle. "Just… coughing."

"That wasn't normal coughing," Piper insisted. "That was demon crap right there."

"I'm fine," Annabeth repeated. "Really."

Jason tilted his head, straightening up. "I heard you choke-coughing or whatever that was from two doors over, Annabeth. Are you okay?"

Annabeth sat for a second, before plastering on a smile. It wasn't anything over the top, just enough to get them off her backs. "Yes. I promise. I'm okay."

Piper nodded, and took Jason's hand. They were ready to exit before Piper turned back to Annabeth. "We'll see you in a few hours, okay?"

Annabeth nodded, and kept the smile on until the door closed behind them. Then her face crumpled and she retreated, wrapping her blankets in a cocoon around her. She grabbed Daedalus's laptop from her bedside table, flipping it open.

That was the fourth time they'd checked up on her in three nights. Annabeth figured she wouldn't sleep scare them if she didn't sleep.

𝛀

Percy

Percy crashed into the water at full speed, the shock of doing something that wasn't falling rattling his bones. He gasped for air as soon as he made contact, the icy liquid engulfing him tightly. And somehow… there were voices. Voices slithering through his mind, making their way into his thoughts.

Don't try to survive, they hissed. It's all pointless after all. Why make your torture longer? Just give it all up now…

No, Percy thought. He couldn't give up. He needed to get out of here-

Just relax… Percy stopped kicking upwards. He was still willing the water up, but at that moment he was ready to just let go.

"Seaweed Brain," a voice said, and Percy kicked up frantically. He broke the surface of his self created whirlpool, and turned around desperately. He couldn't see the speaker.

"Seaweed Brain," the voice said again, and Percy turned back towards the shore.

Annabeth knelt on the bank of the river, laughing. Her eyes sparkled with amusement, and she looked happier than she'd looked in a while.

Percy knew this wasn't real. He had imagined this before. But now he was back in the Styx, slowly burning to death as he looked up at Annabeth. Annabeth had been sitting on the dock at camp then, helping Percy out of the lake, smirking at his idiocy.

But right now, Annabeth was here in Tartarus. Percy wanted to scream for her to leave, but his voice wasn't working. His bones were being wrapped by the words of the voices in the river, pulling him down. He tried to stay afloat, concentrating on her. He needed her to get out while she could.

"Grab my hand," Annabeth said, reaching towards him. Percy reached up, ready to grab it-

Annabeth dissipated, leaving Percy surging out of the water with a burst of energy. He landed on the bank of the river with a thud, drained from that burst. The water was heavier than anything else he'd ever tried to manipulate, and every fiber of his being ached. He shifted, groaning, before wincing up. The sand… the sand was glass?

He picked up a grain, and confirmed his suspicion. It was in fact a small chipped fragment of glass, and his face and hands were already scratched with a vengeance of a thousand paper cuts.

"Schist," he cursed.

He looked around, and accidentally took a large whiff of his surroundings. He gagged. The smells resembled the sour, musty, repelling scent of…

"Gabe," he groaned, standing and growling. He took stock of himself, trying not to focus on the world around him. He had his ripped Camp Halfblood t-shirt and tattered jeans, with ever faithful Riptide in his pocket. He recalled seeing it slip out continuously as he fell, the cycle repeating as soon as it reappeared in his pocket. It finally rested deep in his pocket, and he didn't particularly want to take it out.

Percy's eyes lifted to his surroundings, and he inhaled a shaky breath. Dark read coated the horizon, low hanging clouds that imitated smoke that dangled from the black sky.

He wanted to cry right then and there.

𝛀

Annabeth

Annabeth stood above deck with Hazel, one fist clenched on the edge of the ship and one around the hilt of her dagger. Neither she nor Hazel had uttered a single thing since Annabeth had joined her, and it was pleasant. Hazel was watching the horizon avidly, concentrating. Annabeth knew that she wasn't particularly in a talking mood, and Annabeth was honestly okay with that. Each day been long, too long. Thoughts and feelings rattled around her mind all day, blurring the reality within which she was confined.

It was easier being up here at night, where there wasn't the full crew. Well… there wouldn't be the opportunity for the crew to be all together. Annabeth-

"Look out!" Nico yelled from the crows nest, and Annabeth's hand encircled Hazel's wrist to pull her down to the deck, Annabeth crashing next to her. Leo, who was at the helm, frantically waved his Wii remotes, jerking the ship down. There were shouts of outrage from down below, but all Annabeth could focus on was the boulder shooting over head. It crashed right below the crows nest, and Nico toppled to the ground.

"Nico!" Hazel shouted, running over as the boulder dropped into the clouds below. Nico sat up from the rubble on the deck, a gash running from his chin. "H-hey."

"That's the third time this week!" Leo screamed, jumping up and down as Annabeth stood shakily. "Stupid rock gods!"

"Get us out of here!" Annabeth screeched at Leo as another boulder sailed overhead, threatening to smash into Annabeth.

Leo raised the remotes, sailing above the incoming rocks.

The mountain gods had been pissed all week, chucking boulders. Annabeth felt helpless, unable to do anything. Nothing she had could affect the gods. It felt like everyone else could do something. Hazel could manipulate the ground. Jason and Frank could go up and make sure the boulders don't crash into the Argo II. Piper could talk to the gods below. Leo could move the ship. All Annabeth could do was run for cover and calculate the trajectory of the massive stone.

"Should we get the others?" Nico asked, standing and wiping his chin.

"I think they're already up. And it's the night shift," Hazel reminded him. "They need their sleep."

"Yeah but look at this!" Leo gestures to the broken mast.

"We'll solve it on our own," Hazel said.

"Whatever," Leo said.

Annabeth could see Leo was acting a lot different than normal, ever since Percy fell. Annabeth hated to see him so angry and distant.

Hazel was looking at Leo as well, an odd expression on her face. Annabeth watched her for a second, trying to understand the longing and regret in Hazel's eyes.

Annabeth couldn't handle the extra emotions in the air.

She sprinted below decks, and slammed the door to her room. She couldn't handle it.

𝛀

Percy

"Gods," Percy muttered, straightening and stepping towards the familiar vehicle. "Oh, gods."

The baby blue Fiat stood overturned in the pits of Tartarus. Percy reached towards the car slowly, brushing against the surface of the bumper before pulling away.

Spiderwebs.

He frantically wiped off the web residue from his fingers, before his eyes caught on something else. A silk cocoon was trapped underneath one of the tires, empty. Tracks ran away from it, limping from the wreckage. They looked like… dragging spiderwebs.

Percy clenched his jaw and pulled out Riptide, uncapping it. He wasn't going to let this itsy bitsy spider get away this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Thank you so much for the support, it means everything. So, this chapter is entirely from Annabeth's point of view, and the next will be entirely Percy's. I promise Chapter 5 will be in both of theirs, but I really want to have an opportunity to establish both of the characters in their own chapters, so give them some love!**

**I'm looking for a beta reader, so to any who like to edit, hit me up! *finger guns***

**Ok, thank you! Love you guys!**

Annabeth

Annabeth tapped her fork against the edge of her plate, deep in thought. The other seven's eyes bore into her, but she kept tapping away. Piper was making her eat full meals, but Annabeth didn't think she could swallow another bite of her penne, but Piper had enough of a death glare to make Annabeth uncomfortable. She had devised the plan of moving her hands around her food enough to make Piper think she was eating.

"This is ridiculous," Annabeth said finally. "Isn't anyone going to say anything?"

Silence.

"Can we at least talk about Hazel's latest adventure?" Annabeth said, waving her fork in the way of the embarrassed girl. "With Hecate in that mysterious tornado storm?"

"Yeah," Leo pipes up. "What happened there?"

Eyes left Annabeth to shift to Hazel, and Annabeth breathed a soft sigh of relief, before she remembered that she was supposed to be the strong one. She was supposed to be the leader here. How could she lead when she couldn't speak? Leading without a voice is like playing piano with no hands. You could attempt it, but it would only end badly for all of those involved.

As Hazel recounted her tales of Hecate, all that Annabeth could think of was magic. Magic could help Percy. If Percy had magic then he could escape. If only the magic Hazel had could transport its way down to Tartarus-

Annabeth shook her head softly and tried to focus once more on Hazel's words, to no avail. Her mind was elsewhere, and there was no use trying to tether it down once more.

Annabeth sat at her desk, trying to calm her mind. She was going to sleep in her room tonight, she was determined. She was going to lie down in her bed and shut off her mind, fall asleep and not _think_. That was what Annabeth desperately needed. She needed to not think. Her brain was active every waking moment, pounding in her skull. There was no distraction from the torment of herself, and she had to deal with that. It first became unmanageable when Percy left the first time. Then she had to berate herself with problems and solutions and that fact that everything seemed to be her fault. It had soothed for a while, once they knew where her Seaweed Brain was, and had almost disappeared when she got him back. Now it was back with a vengeance, here to remind her that her mind was the one gift that her mother gave her. To be thankful for this mess of a blessing, or a curse in disguise.

She just needed to turn it off. Just… switch it.

Sighing, Annabeth switched off her desk lamp and climbed into bed, resting her head against the headboard.

"What are you doing?" Came a voice from the wall behind her. Annabeth turned her head to press her cheek against the wall, listening.

"I'm… reading," Jason replied, and Annabeth fully pressed herself against the wall, listening.

"It's midnight Jason, on your nightshift," Piper said, distress barely hidden in her voice. "Please, it's time to sleep."

"I-I know," Jason said. "I just… I need to prepare. To know what's coming."

"Why?" Piper asked, sounding exhausting. Annabeth could hear bed springs as Piper sat on his mattress, and a sigh.

"Because Percy's gone, okay?!" Jason's voice cracked, and Piper gave a small gasp. "And I know that Annabeth is the leader of this quest, but with Percy gone she's practically left with him as well. I need to step up, because it's my _duty_."

There's silence for a while, and Annabeth leaned against her pillow, pulling the blankets up to cover her ears. Jason's words stung more than anything had before, and she didn't want to deal with any others that sting. _She's practically left with him as well_. Who was she kidding? He was right. Annabeth was gone everywhere.

But she couldn't think of that. That was tomorrow morning's depressor. Annabeth needed to focus on sleeping for one night, in her own bed. For the first time in three days.

She needed to try.

Annabeth's dreams were fitful, as normal. What was she expecting as a demigod? They were always nightmarish, predicting of messy futures that had no positive outcomes. With Percy in Tartarus, she had no doubt that she would dream of him. It was a given, seeing as demigods tended to dream of those they loved. With Percy and Annabeth, loved almost seemed like an understatement. **Needed** was more accurate.

Annabeth dreamt of a ghostly skeleton, mist wrapping between it's bones, back turned to her. It moved sluggishly, slowly limping forwards. Ripped shreds of orange covered it's torso, jeans loose on the figure. It turned around, and Annabeth gasped.

The dead face of Percy looked around furtively, straight through her, before returning on his way.

Annabeth screamed.

"You're awake!" Hazel said, opening Annabeth's door. Annabeth was sitting up, hair mussed, her oversized school t shirt wrinkled and her eyes blazing with a wild look. "It's time for breakfast."

Annabeth nodded as Hazel closed the door, before sinking back against the pillow.

Percy was dead in that dream, Annabeth was sure of it. His face had been so gray and thin, eyes hollow and skin sagging from his skeletal figure.

He couldn't die! Annabeth clutched her head in her hands, distraught. She _needed_ him. He couldn't just die on her- she couldn't allow it.

Annabeth sorrowfully tugged on jeans and a camp t-shirt, trudging to the mess hall. The rest of the group were already eating, but they looked up when she came in.

Jason was sitting in his normal seat next to the head. Annabeth was a little taken aback by this- she had expected after his conversation with Piper last night for him to take charge. Instead he smiled at her and waved her to the head of the table, uttering a greeting as she sat down.

Leo and Hazel both looked exhausted. Hazel was understood, of course- she had been guiding the ship through the mountains all night. But Leo had dark circles under his eyes, and Annabeth was worried about him. Was he not getting enough sleep? Of course not, she chided herself. He was a demigod. She was a perfect example- the dreams are worse than being awake.

Frank and Nico sat on either side of Hazel, both looking grim. Frank was still wearing his centurion badge, which surprised Annabeth. They were hated in Camp Jupiter right then, so why was Frank still displaying his old rank?

Nico wore his darkness as always, a somber look etched onto his face. Annabeth still had pangs when she looked at Nico- they had replaced Percy on the ship with him. Annabeth couldn't not have mixed feelings about this swap.

Piper wasn't at the table, which made Annabeth uncomfortable. Piper was her second safety blanket after Percy, there to control her emotions and pull her back out of her frustrations. She was at the helm with Coach Hedge, a cycle they'd all agreed on, yet Annabeth furiously wished that someone else could take the job right now.

"I communed with the dead last night," Nico said, and Annabeth snapped to attention. She wasn't aware that there was a discussion going on.

"I was able to learn more about what we'll face," Nico continued, and Annabeth bit her lip. "In ancient times, the House of Hades was a major site for Greek Pilgrims. They would come to speak with the dead and honor their ancestors."

"Sounds like Día de los Muertos," Leo muttered, making a face. "My Aunt Rosa took that stuff seriously."

"Chinese have that too-ancestor worship, sweeping the graves in the springtime." Frank cracked his knuckles in the least menacing way Annabeth had ever seen. "Your Aunt Rosa would've gotten along with my grandmother."

Annabeth cleared her throat, and everyone looked surprise that she was drawing attention to herself. "Okay, guys, can we return to the topic?"

Nico cleared his throat. "A lot of cultures have seasonal traditions to honor the dead, but the House of Hades was open year round. Pilgrims could actually _speak _to the ghosts. In Greek, the place was called the Necromanteion, the Oracle of Death. You'd work your way throw different levels of tunnels, leaving offerings and drinking special potions-"

"Special potions," Leo murmured. "Yum." Jason elbowed him and flashed a look.

"Um," Nico said, looking around for confirmation to continue. Annabeth nodded to him, grabbing at straws to steady herself in the leadership role. "The pilgrims believed that each level of the temple brought you closer to the Underworld, until the dead would appear before you. If they were pleased with your offerings, they would answer your questions, maybe even tell you the future."

"And if they weren't pleased?" Annabeth asked, leaning forward and resting her hands on the table.

"Some pilgrims found nothing," Nico continued, looking down at his hands while Hazel watched him intently. "Some went insane, or died after leaving the temple. Others lost their way in the tunnels and were never seen again."

"The point is," Jason said quickly, "Nico found some information that might help us."

"Yeah," Nico said hollowly. "The ghost I spoke to last night… he was a former priest of Hecate. He confirmed what the goddess told Hazel yesterday at the crossroads. In the first war with the giants, Hecate fought for the gods. She slew one of the giants- one who'd been designed as the anti-Hecate. A guy named Clytius."

Leo's eyes widened a little, and Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows, but decided not to push it. "Tell us about Clytius, Nico."

"He appears as a dark figure," Nico says. "Wrapped in shadows."

"Pleasant," Frank mumbled, fiddling around with his french toast.

"So the giant is Clytius, suppose he'll be waiting for us, guarding the doors of Death." Jason looked around, trying to connect to someone's thoughts.

"I need to work on my magic," Hazel said, looking down. "I'll need it to fight against Clytius."

"Do you know magic?" Leo asked.

"No," Hazel admitted.

"There's a little good news," Nico said, coughing. "The ghost I spoke to explained how Hecate defeated Clytius in the first war. She used her torches to set his hair on fire. He burned to death. In other words, fire is his weakness."

Annabeth, along with everybody else, turned to Leo. Jason looked excited, but Annabeth felt hesitant. That had to have a trick. Some sort of double side. But for now, she'd take all the good news there was.

Hazel nodded softly. "Now we just have to reach the House of Hades, battle our way through Gaea's forces-"

"Plus a bunch of ghosts," Nico added grimly. "The spirits in that temple may not be friendly."

"-and find the Doors of Death," Hazel continued, glaring at Nico. "Assuming we can somehow arrive at the same time as Percy and rescue him." She looked gently at Annabeth. She was still walking on ice. They all were.

"We can do it," Frank said. "We have to."

"So with this detour," Annabeth said, calculating. "I'd estimate four or five days to arrive at Epirus, assuming no delays."

Leo snorted. "Yeah, 'cause we're _that_ lucky."

Jason looked over at Hazel. "Hecate said that she was planning her wakening for August first, right? The Feast of…."

"Spes," Hazel filled in. "The goddess of hope."

"Theoretically," Jason mused. "That leaves us enough time. It's on July fifth. We should be able to close the Doors of Death, then find the giant's headquarters and stop them from waking Gaea before August first."

"Theoretically," Hazel agreed, twirling her spoon in her yogurt. "But I'd still like to know how we make our way through the House of Hades without going insane or dying."

Annabeth was tempted to say _too late_, but figured the mood setting was that accommodating quite yet.

"I think.." Annabeth stood and pushed her chair in. "I'm going to go sketch some plans out. Keep having this discussion but… I just need to slip out for a second."

"Annabeth," Jason said, stopping her. "Thank you for coming to discuss with us. For… rejoining."

"I'm the leader, aren't I?" Annabeth asked, smiling before leaving.

The smile didn't cover up the anxiety in the depth of her heart.


End file.
